The Other College Guide: A Roadmap to the Right School for You

1. CHOOSING TO GO:

AN INTRODUCTION TO THIS GUIDE

Choosing to go to college is one of those major, super-important, really, really critical decisions in life. After all, college could be the most valuable investment you ever make in your future. It could also be where you meet your closest group of friends, or where you decide what your career is going to be. Of course, college isn’t for everybody, but since you picked up this book, our guess is that it’s for you.

But here’s the thing. Choosing to go to college is just the very first step. The next steps—choosing the right college for you and then getting there, and getting through all the way to graduation—are even more important. And that’s where things really start to get exciting, scary, intimidating, thrilling, and, yeah, downright confusing.

It’s a journey—an exploration, really. Remember reading about the explorers who were the first Europeans to encounter North America? Sailors who couldn’t swim sailing across an ocean full of monsters to a New World they weren’t sure existed? In some ways, you’re like an explorer on a journey and you’re not sure exactly where it will lead because it’s sailing into the future and who can really know about that? The sheer amount of information can make you feel like you’re in the noisy, swirling center of a disorienting storm. But here’s the good news: you have a chart, marking the known obstacles and signaling where you’re likely to hit a current that may be pushing you in the wrong direction. Our goal for this guide is to demystify the process of going to college. We want you to know about the resources that are free and available, and we want you to know the questions you can—and should—ask. We want you to avoid currents that seem convenient but will push you off course, we want you to build a network that will help you in every stage of your life, and we want you to pay as little as possible and graduate with a degree that matters.

This book will help you do all that successfully, in ways no other college guidebook on the market can, because it is different from those other books in four fundamental ways:

Other books cater (though they don’t come right out and say so) mostly to students from well-to-do families trying to get into the most exclusive, priciest schools. The Other College Guide is for every student. Whether you’re rich, poor, or in the middle, or get straight As or mostly Cs, this book will help you find a challenging, high-quality school that’s right for you.

Other books, like U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges, rank schools based on how many students they turn away, or how much money they raise and spend, or how other college presidents rate them. But these metrics tell you next to nothing about how much actual learning goes on in the classroom. They are mostly measures of inputs, not outcomes. So The Other College Guide ignores such criteria and instead ranks colleges based on the best available data about what really matters (or should matter) to you. Which schools will charge you a fair price and not bury you in debt (hint: you need to look beyond the sticker price)? Which schools help students like you graduate (going to college but not getting a degree is an almost complete waste of your time and money)? Which provide degrees that allow you to earn a decent income (at least enough to pay off your student loans, and hopefully a whole lot more)?

Other books are full of happy talk about how wonderful America’s higher education system is and how every college has something to offer. Baloney! There are a lot of terrible colleges out there. We’ll name names and help you avoid them. The system is confusing, complicated, full of trap doors, and often unfair. We’ll guide you through it safely.

Other books only profile the most prestigious colleges or the Best Party Schools. We offer detailed profiles of 50 great schools that will maximize your chance of succeeding, academically and in life (the profiles begin on page 348).

From Imagination to Reality: Chapters 2–7

Chapter 2 asks you to imagine your future. Where is your future self? What are you doing for a living? How much do you earn? Imagining your future is all on you because no one can help you dream, but we can tell you this: most successful people have been reflective about their future career, and they figure out what they need to do to get there. Then they’re strategic about picking a college that will help them gain the skills, abilities, knowledge, certification, and degrees that matter.

In Chapter 2, you will be guided through steps that match your interests and talents (the ones you have and the ones you will grow) with possible careers. It’s important to be honest as you work through this process, but also have fun as you ask yourself what you like to do. The truth is, there is no single, straight-line path to success, but as you use the tools to explore your personality and interests, patterns will emerge, and they are likely to bunch together into a few career clusters.

The forces that change the world—technology, global politics, scientific advancements, catastrophes, demographics—are also changing the skills people need to engage in meaningful work. We’ll guide you to experts who will give you a snapshot of the future job market, including the careers that will have the greatest demand and the educational preparation needed to break into the field that interests you. This section includes information on majors, careers, employment possibilities, and average earnings so that you can begin to translate your dreams (and it’s okay if they’re a little vague and shapeless at this point!) into goals that are specific and measurable.

Transforming an idea into reality means critically thinking about the steps you need to take to get there. That’s why Chapter 3 includes a checklist to help you determine the kind of school that is right for you, which depends on who you are and your career goals. Students come from all backgrounds, with different needs, expectations, and goals, and there is no one-size-fits-all college that will meet all of them. In fact, there are so many different types of colleges (two-year and four-year, private and public, online and on the ground, and lots of blends in between) that it’s downright intimidating. We’ll guide you through this maze to help you find the type of degree you need for what you want to do and then find the college that will get you there.

Chapter 4 is Washington Monthly’s rankings chapter and includes four lists. The Best-Bang-for-the-Buck rankings include over 1,500 colleges sorted by region and answer a question we think you should be asking: What colleges will charge you the least and give you the highest chance of graduating with a degree that will actually get you a job? There are lots of choices out there, and though hardly anyone will tell you this, some of the colleges that will work hardest to recruit you are looking for paying students and may give you the least bang for your buck. The second ranking, Affordable Elite Colleges, includes only 224 colleges that are highly selective, and the third is a short list of the 50 best community colleges in the country.

Many people, notably among them African American students, factor in an additional consideration: Should I go to a school with a history of service to a particular racial, cultural, or religious community? To help with that decision, our fourth list ranks nearly eighty historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), because if you’re interested in an HBCU, you should approach your search with the same eye for fit and value as you would with any other category of school.

Chapter 5 is dedicated to the challenges that you’ll face at a two-year college if your goal is a bachelor’s degree. It’s not an impossible bridge to cross, but there are some disconnects that we think you should be prepared for.

Chapters 6 and 7 are designed to help you take stock of where you are now. One of our experts in college preparation and planning told us: I have met many students who have wasted a lot of time applying to colleges even though they have not met that college’s requirements. Either they don’t have the GPA or they have not taken courses needed to make them competitive.¹ With a lot of expert advice, these chapters will help you avoid that mistake and prepare for a successful college experience.

The Dreaded Admission and Financial Aid Processes: Chapters 8–10

It takes time to build a final list, and the chapters in this section are designed to help you add and subtract colleges, plan, and talk to parents and teachers. By fall of your senior year, you’ll be ready to take the steps that will lead to admission, and you’ll have a pretty good idea where you can get the best education for the best price. The path to admission and a favorable financial package is a slog because it takes a lot of energy and knowledge, but it’s worth it. There are good questions that people in the know are asking, and we want you to be among them.

Some of you will be embarking on this journey with a supportive family or a group of friends who share your goal to go to college and are willing to do everything they can to help you get there. Some of you don’t have that kind of support. Some of you may not be able to think of a single person in your family who’s ever been to a college campus, much less gone through the harrowing application process. But no matter who you are or what your background is, don’t be intimidated. Whether or not you can count on support from parents or family, think about the teachers you’ve had for all these years. Every single one of them successfully navigated the college process, and we’re betting that somewhere along the line, there was one particular teacher you connected with. Go ahead. If you need a little perspective and encouragement, head on back to that fourth-grade classroom (you’ll be amazed at how small the desks are). If you thought highly of a teacher, tell her that; we know she would be pleased. And even though she may not be able to guide you herself, she may be able to connect you with a network of college graduates who can. We also recommend that you use local public college resources (even if you don’t plan to enroll there), and we’ll give you some hints on how and when to approach them.

Chapters 8 and 9 provide advice and checklists to filter out some of the noise surrounding the application process. All colleges have posted deadlines, and you need to stay organized if you’re going to stay on track. As the Chinese philosopher Laozi wrote twenty-five centuries ago: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That step is yours to take.

Chapter 10 is a biggie. It’s about paying for college, and while most experts say that college can be one of the wisest investments you can make, there’s a caveat (that’s a fancy word that means warning) here: for that investment to pay off, you actually need to graduate—and you need to graduate without a crushing mountain of debt. It’s unfortunate, but there are some institutions that will suck every penny of financial aid you have coming and leave you shipwrecked without a degree (or with limited skills) and with big debt. To complicate matters, comparing costs is not simple, since every college will package financial aid differently, with some giving you lots of free (grant and scholarship) money and others giving you more loans. This chapter is designed to guide you through this treacherous gauntlet, pointing out trapdoors and shortcuts to help you figure out the best school for you that will challenge and reward you while keeping you from being lured by the siren song of false promises.

Making the Most of Your College Years: Chapters 11–13

Chapter 11 gives you some tips about how to make every college year count, from the first day of class freshman year to walking down that aisle wearing a cap and gown. We include lists of resources that are out there to help you succeed in school—especially in that crucial first year—and arm you with questions you should ask. (Spoiler alert: making it count isn’t only about getting good grades.) Chapter 12 takes a look at how to line yourself up for future employment while you’re still in college and how to think about what success means to you. In Chapter 13 our experts tell you how to make the most of your college years and set yourself up for a career through public, volunteer, or military service. Building skills while doing something that helps others reaps both social and personal benefits.

As you read this book, consider this: We know that one of the reasons many of you want to go to college is because you know that most of the jobs you might like require a college degree. But college is much more than a path to a good gig. It is an opportunity to be in a place where you will grow your talents, connect with others who share your goals, and learn to be a leader in your family, your community, and in the world. Take a look at the list of other reasons people go to college. As you think about your college choices, think about your reasons for going to college. Then think about where you want to be as you grow in knowledge, expand your network, and learn to engage with the world in a way that will get you where you want to go.

2. MOVING UP IN THE WORLD

SETTING GOALS AND IMAGINING YOUR FUTURE

You plan to go to college, and that’s good, because studies show that people who have college degrees are happier, healthier, and wealthier than people who don’t.³ Really! Another study puts a dollar figure on it—adults with bachelor’s degrees earn 84 percent more over their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma.⁴ That could be a million bucks!

These are all good reasons to go to college, but let’s be honest: right now you’re probably focused on just the next few years. A million dollars is a lot of money, but there’s also a solid economic argument that it’s less than that because while your friend is out there making money right out of high school, you’re at college incurring debt. So you start out in a bit of a hole and it takes a while to backfill. Then there are people who went to college and haven’t landed in their dream job . . . yet. With a college degree you are likely to earn more in the long run and move into management positions that aren’t available to those without a degree, but a college degree is not just about the job. It has to be about more than that, because it’s something you earn, and it doesn’t come easy or without some level of sacrifice. In fact, 35 percent of students who go to a four-year public college don’t stay for their second year.⁵ The ones who do make it have a purpose. That’s what this chapter is about.

AVERAGE EARNINGS OF FULL-TIME, YEAR-ROUND WORKERS AS A PROPORTION OF THE AVERAGE EARNINGS OF HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, 1975–2013

No matter what career you pursue, you are likely to earn more than you would have if you stopped your education at high school.

(UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU. 1975–2002 MARCH CURRENT POPULATION SURVEYS. 2005–2013 ANNUAL SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SUPLEMENT OF THE CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY.)

Start with Your Interests

Let’s begin by delving into what interests you, because it’s your interests that will carry you through life. When you meet someone who just loves what they do, it’s not because what they’re doing is easy. In fact, it’s probably not easy. They love it because it holds their attention. They keep chipping away at whatever they’re doing because something about it excites them: they like to investigate or they enjoy analyzing documents, they like the thrill of the performance or the smile they bring to someone’s face. They remain committed to what they’re doing because they’re interested in the outcome even if they don’t love every task required to get the job done.

In this section, we connect your interests to possible careers with a six-step process:

1.Reflect. Think quietly about who you want to be when you grow up.

2.Take inventory of your interests: they’re what drive success.

3.Connect your interests with occupational personality types that have been developed by industrial psychologists.

4.Peruse careers that complement your personality.

5.Look at national research that shows the average earning power of degrees.

6.Put it all together.

Step One: Reflect

Before you go for Google guidance, take a few minutes to be reflective. You, and everybody else these days, live in a world where everything’s buzzing and beeping and there are so many pressures from the outside that it’s hard to find a quiet space even inside your own head. But try. Turn everything off and spend some time visualizing your future.

Where are you living? What does your home look like? Describe your surroundings. Where are you working? What kind of work are you doing? Think about your daily routine. Does your work take you outside on occasion, or is it primarily in the field? If you’re inside, what does your space look like? Where are your co-workers, and what are they doing? Are you working in a team or primarily alone? Close to home or far away? Imagine that you get recognized for an achievement. What did you do?

You may find the daydreaming part of this thought experiment kind of fun, but the real positive side effect of this kind of thinking is the next step: figuring out how you plan to get there. Steve Piscitelli at Florida State College gives his students a rubber bracelet with H.T.R.B. on it: hit the reset button. His message: If nothing is changing in your life and you’re not headed where you want to go, hit the reset button!⁷

Step Two: Profile Your Interests

This next step brings you back to the present and introduces a tool developed by researchers that will help you get to that future you imagined. Our experts’ advice to students at the front end of their educational journey is pretty straightforward: know your own personality, have a strategy, and start with an interest profile. Success begins when you build on what you’re interested in.

Let’s start with the interest profile. What is it and how do you get one? Basically, it is a series of questions that asks you whether you like performing a certain task. The Department of Labor’s O*NET Interest Profiler is free and available on its My Next Move website (www.mynextmove.org), and it will generate bar charts showing how your interests span different occupational measures. If your high school uses college-planning software, there will be a link to an interest profiler on that site. There are dozens, but they all lead to the same six categories.

Step Three: Link Your Interests with Occupational Personality Types

Industrial psychologists have come up with six basic categories that your interests, as measured by the profiler, lead to: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Entrepreneurial, and Conventional. Each one of us is a unique blend of all of these types, so the personality mix that the Bureau of Labor Statistics O*Net Online profiler⁸ gives you is like a view from thirty thousand feet—it’s a picture that lacks specific details that make up who you are, but it’s a good place to start.

Realistic. People with realistic interests like work that includes practical, hands-on problems and answers. Often people with realistic interests do not like careers that involve paperwork or working closely with others. Realistic people like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials such as wood, tools, and machinery. They often like outside work.

Investigative. People with investigative interests like work that has to do with ideas and thinking rather than physical activity or leading people. Investigative types like searching for facts and figuring out problems.

Artistic. People with artistic interests like work that deals with the artistic side of things, such as acting, music, art, and design. They like to have creativity in their work, and they like work that can be done without following a set of rules.

Social. People with social interests like working with others to help them learn and grow. They like working with people more than working with objects, machines, or information. Social interests often lead people to enjoy careers such as teaching, giving advice, helping, and being of service to others.

Enterprising. People with enterprising interests like work that has to do with starting up and carrying out projects. These people like taking action rather than endlessly thinking about things. They like persuading and leading people, making decisions, and taking risks.

Conventional. People with conventional interests like work that follows set procedures and routines. They prefer working with information and paying attention to details rather than working with ideas. They like working with clear rules and following a strong leader.

You’re probably a blend of several of these categories. Some people have a little of everything and may be drawn to professions that require a range of talents. On the other hand, some people lean pretty heavily toward one type or another; you can see that in your friends. The person you’d call to help you build a website might not be the same person you’d call to help you plan a party or be the lead actor on a video project. Then again, it might be.

Step Four: Link Your Personality Types with Career Goals

Getting from your general type to a specific career is definitely not a straight line. In fact, you’ll likely have more than one career in your lifetime. College graduates who were born in the early 1980s had, on average, six or seven different types of jobs before they were twenty-six. Humans went to the moon for the first time during your parents or grandparents’ lifetimes, and it’s now possible for ordinary (though very rich) people to take a shuttle up to space. People will think about cars needing drivers the same way you think about floppy discs. There’s no limit to what you might accomplish if you’re able to adapt to change and you’re willing to put in the time and effort to develop your abilities. But no matter where you go or how much technology changes the way you think, you’re going to carry your interests with you, which is why they’re part of your personality type. Psychologists have taken the process one step further: from personalities to occupations that can be clumped into career clusters (pages 26–32) that are likely to be attractive to you based on your interests.

CREATE A BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR LIFE

In an ideal world, we’d all have awesome college counselors and sage teachers we could turn to. But most of us don’t. Many of us don’t even have parents we can turn to because they work all the time, or they never had the opportunity to go to college themselves, or they were never around to begin with. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have knowledgeable people in our lives whose advice we really, really trust. Who is that person for you? An aunt? A teacher? A pastor? A godparent? A coach? A cousin? A best friend? A former boss? Try to find at least three people in your life whom you respect and whose opinion you trust, and then do the same thing that successful CEOs do to stay on track and accountable: ask them to be on your own board of directors. Every time you need to make a major decision in life, call them up, email them, or simply ask, What do you think I should do? You don’t have to follow their advice all the time (and sometimes you shouldn’t!), but getting their opinions and really listening to their point of view will help keep you on track when life gets overwhelming or confusing.

Do you like designing spaces? With plants, rocks, concrete, or recycled plastic? Would you like to counsel or teach people? Take care of animals? Think about what your favorite classes have been and why you liked them, or think about the television show you watched last night or the movie that you keep remembering. What careers intrigue you?

As you associate what you like to do with possible occupations, think about people who have inspired you. They can be real people, fictional characters, or people who have very public lives. If you aspire to be like them, think about what their daily lives are like, what skills they use, and what it is that you admire about them.

Talk to family and friends, teachers, counselors, and coaches, because sometimes other people see talents in you that you take for granted. You might not notice how patient you are with your grandmother who has Alzheimer’s, but your mother or uncle sees it. You might not be aware that you really inspired a ten-year-old when you tutored him, but his teacher knows you’re his hero. You might think that being good at art isn’t a marketable skill, but several careers require a keen eye for color or the ability to quickly sketch an idea.

At this stage, don’t think about whether or not you have the education or training to do the kind of job you’re fantasizing about. You’re not there yet, but one of the reasons you’re going to college is to gain a whole new set of abilities, deepen your knowledge, and put all of this into practice doing something that interests you.

If you don’t know